Rescued by an Author
Head in a book as always
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Being in the right place at the right time
Other people may have written about Sarah Ban Breathnach before, and they might have done it better and with more style, but there's a very personal reason why I decided to put pen to paper, so to speak. You might be wondering what I mean by the title but this author and gentle soul rescued me. This is no lie. I needed help and her book was on hand when I needed it most. I guess I might have survived, I might have found another author, book or different way, but Sarah Ban Breathnach was in the right place and her Simple Abundance book was there at the right time. Let me explain to you why she is one of my favourite authors. |
A personal journey
During the noughties I found that I was most definitely no longer in a long-term relationship. Things had fizzled out in an on/off kind of way, but by the time I was well into my mid twenties I came to realise that I was back to being on my own. Single again; but though I was finally able to acknowledge and accept this, I had no idea what to do next.
Don’t get me wrong, I had probably spent more time in my life single than I had been in relationships. I spent my first few years of life as an only child, and I’d not struggled spending time on my own growing up. I was one of those people who didn’t mind my own company.
The problem was over the last four or five years I’d given so much of my time and energy to my relationship that I’d completely lost my sense of self. I had no idea who I was any more. My identity had gone completely. I knew my name of course! I had a job to go to five days a week, but in terms of me, my personality, what I liked, my interests, my confidence, who I actually was; it had all gone. I had no concept of me.
Now I don’t know if this is making sense to any of you. When I write this now, many years later it sounds kind of weird to me too. I’d love to know that somewhere out there others can relate to this, but anyway, this was where I found myself – lost and alone, and no idea what to do about it.
Don’t get me wrong, I had probably spent more time in my life single than I had been in relationships. I spent my first few years of life as an only child, and I’d not struggled spending time on my own growing up. I was one of those people who didn’t mind my own company.
The problem was over the last four or five years I’d given so much of my time and energy to my relationship that I’d completely lost my sense of self. I had no idea who I was any more. My identity had gone completely. I knew my name of course! I had a job to go to five days a week, but in terms of me, my personality, what I liked, my interests, my confidence, who I actually was; it had all gone. I had no concept of me.
Now I don’t know if this is making sense to any of you. When I write this now, many years later it sounds kind of weird to me too. I’d love to know that somewhere out there others can relate to this, but anyway, this was where I found myself – lost and alone, and no idea what to do about it.
Turning a new page
My rather dog-eared copy
As I think back I can’t exactly remember how I came to pull this book off the shelf and start to read it. I’m a big fan of books – always have been. Just walk into our house and you’ll understand what I mean. Goodness knows how many we have. But I’m also a great lover of bookstores and book clubs – anything ‘book’ really, and I used to have this terrible tendency of buying books and not getting around to reading them. Just the act of browsing and the feel of books can do it for me. So I usually have a stash of books that I’ve yet to look at. I’m guessing on one of my better days, when I was focused on doing something positive rather than moping (I was getting over that stage), I must have dug this book out of its neat storage place and delved in.
I don’t know what would have happened to me if I hadn’t found this book. I’ve since read others by the author and though I’ve enjoyed them and they’ve given me something, Simple Abundance has been the outstanding work for me. I honestly feel that without it and its lessons I might not be the person I am now. The strong, resilient, resourceful, loving, happy and comfortable person that I am today. I’ve restored my identity, I’m no longer lost and for that I’m truly grateful.
I don’t know what would have happened to me if I hadn’t found this book. I’ve since read others by the author and though I’ve enjoyed them and they’ve given me something, Simple Abundance has been the outstanding work for me. I honestly feel that without it and its lessons I might not be the person I am now. The strong, resilient, resourceful, loving, happy and comfortable person that I am today. I’ve restored my identity, I’m no longer lost and for that I’m truly grateful.
Simple Abundance
 
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The daybook of comfort and joy
For those of you who don’t know it, Simple Abundance is a daybook. It gives you something to read and reflect on for every day of the year. It also provides you with tasks or ‘Joyful Simplicities’ each month and principles for living, based around developing a sense of, gratitude, simplicity, order, harmony, beauty and joy. A Gratitude Journal is another of the tools introduced to help you appreciate the good in your life. Now written down like this, it could seem like any other self-development book, but it’s the way in which it is written which is the true key to it all. This book is gentle and lovely and caring. It’s like being wrapped in the most beautifully fluffy and soft blanket. It wants to help you and stroke your hair and make you feel better. |
The simple principles get you to take a step back, to look at life again and rediscover what it is that you really love. It gives you permission to be kind to yourself and take time to focus on you in a way that’s not selfish, but healing. It gets you to seek out simple pleasures that are not extravagant or costly, but nurturing and allows you to look at life in a different way to the normal hubbub of the everyday.
I loved it – and still do. I was very good and followed all the key tasks; read my page every day, kept a gratitude journal and found ways in which to rediscover the things that made me tick, that gave me joy that I had forgotten. I was also open and willing to try out new things and ideas, and was introduced to authors I would never have considered.
I loved it – and still do. I was very good and followed all the key tasks; read my page every day, kept a gratitude journal and found ways in which to rediscover the things that made me tick, that gave me joy that I had forgotten. I was also open and willing to try out new things and ideas, and was introduced to authors I would never have considered.
One of my favourite authors
A positive experience
All in all it worked for me. I lived by the principles of this book for several years afterwards and its influence is still with me. I survived a period in my life where I couldn’t see the future – I couldn’t even imagine it – and coming out the other side I was happy, I knew who I was, what I liked and even had the confidence to holiday alone. I picked myself up, brushed myself off and moved on, but I don’t know if I would have managed it without this author.
I hope you never go through anything like this, but if you do I can heartily recommend Sarah Ban Breathnach to help guide you along. This is why she is one of my favourite authors.
All in all it worked for me. I lived by the principles of this book for several years afterwards and its influence is still with me. I survived a period in my life where I couldn’t see the future – I couldn’t even imagine it – and coming out the other side I was happy, I knew who I was, what I liked and even had the confidence to holiday alone. I picked myself up, brushed myself off and moved on, but I don’t know if I would have managed it without this author.
I hope you never go through anything like this, but if you do I can heartily recommend Sarah Ban Breathnach to help guide you along. This is why she is one of my favourite authors.
Here's where you can get the book and a couple of others that are worth a look
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